Nightlife & Music

Top Trivia Nights In Philadelphia

Quizzo, also known as pub trivia, can trace its origins back to Ireland. However, it was widely popularized in the states when the first quizzo night was formed in 1993 at the New Deck Tavern in Philly. Today, quizzo is as strong as ever, with many bars hosting the popular trivia event. Here are some of the best places to go in the city to show off your knowledge.

Quizzo is held every Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. at 2nd Street Brew House. Get there early and don’t forget to bring your humor – prizes are given out for funny answers and great team names. Check out its Facebook page before heading over for some round topics. Located in the Pennsport section of South Philly, 2nd Street Brew House was made for beer lovers. It features an ever-changing craft beer bottle list and 12 rotating drafts. The menu is small but always fresh and well priced.

If you’re in Northern Liberties, head to The Abbaye every Thursday night for some late-night trivia. From 10 p.m. to midnight, devoted quizzo fans and the casual player test their knowledge compete for first and second place prizes. Drink specials include $3 shots of Jim Beam and $3 pints of Pennsylvania Pale Ale. Apart from fun quizzo, The Abbaye also has great food. The menu is created based on seasonal and fresh local ingredients.

Head upstairs to the second floor of this Irish pub every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 9 p.m. for quizzo. The questions are challenging, but not so challenging that you won’t have a good time. Get there early to snag a table, since Fergie’s has been known pack a crowd. If you win, prepare to have some of your bar tab paid for and maybe even your picture uploaded on the website. The second floor of Fergie’s Pub also hosts live music and open mic night any given day of the week. The food here is what you’d expect from an Irish pub – cheap, with traditional Irish pub fare and some of the best chili in town.

Philly Magazine awarded Old City’s National Mechanics the best quizzo in the city award in 2013. Every Wednesday starting at 8 p.m., you’ll find a packed crowd waiting to stretch their mind with questions from quizmaster Bobby Fever. The questions are tough, and if you’re caught with your smartphone, you WILL be publicly humiliated, so it’s best to keep them out of sight. That said, National Mechanics is a bar with history. Constructed in 1837, the bar gets its name from what the building used to be – a bank. National Mechanics is classy, yet laid back, and has a great selection of craft beers and a full menu of delicious American food.

Popular quizzo host Johnny Goodtimes, who can be seen at many Philly bars throughout the week, is in charge of quizzo at this unpretentious Graduate Hospital bar every Monday night starting at 9 p.m. You can read all about Johnny’s rules for the game on his website. Also on Mondays, The Sidecar Bar & Grille has what it calls “Bitter Mondays” – $1 off all domestic bitter beers from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.